Today’s title shares the tear of his death and looks at the expectations before the disciples and us.
What are your expectations? What do you expect of yourself, your spouse, your family, your institutions (church, school, medical care, and government)?
In the 1980s, there were philosophies floated around proclaiming that unrealized expectations created frustration; unmonitored frustration generated anger; unchecked anger produced violence. Only look at recent news and we see angry people, angry with each other and with institutions. We see arguments over health care, National Identification Card, taxes, grassroots movements, government involvement in individuals’ lives, and terrorism, to mention only a few.
An objective and careful review of these public disagreements and anger will reveal a basic element common to all. People have expectations, and these expectations differ to varying degrees. When the expectations are not realized, people become upset and even angry. So, what are your expectations?
As we review the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, we see varying expectations that people had of him.
To most, if He were the Promised One of God, the Messiah, He would then be the King of Israel and establish an earthly kingdom, elevating Israel to world leadership. These expectations certainly were not met. Can you see now some reasons for the anger that religious leaders had toward Jesus?
In fact, it wasn’t until some days before his death that Jesus’ chosen disciples and apostles began to understand that their expectations were not God’s expectations for Jesus.
We come to a scripture today, Luke 24:1-12. Jesus had been crucified and laid in a sealed tomb. Female disciples of Jesus came with perfumes and spices for his body to dissipate the smell of decomposition.
Tell me, what did they expect when going to the tomb? These women were mothers of disciples and relatives of Jesus’ human nature. Still they expected a dead body, did they not?
Then, they ran to tell the other disciples what they saw and heard. Peter and John ran to the tomb and found it empty. The last words in verse 12 say, as Peter left, “wondering to himself what had happened.”
What did Peter and John expect? Don’t forget the story of the two men going to Emmaus and telling their traveling friend the story of Jesus, his crucifixion and now missing body. In fact, in Luke 24:21, these men said of Jesus, “but we had hoped had the expectation that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” What did these men expect?
It is fair to say that no one, not a single follower of Jesus expected him to die! They all expected some sort of earthly kingdom and restoration of Israel with a descendent of King David sitting on the throne in Jerusalem forever.
However, in Christ, none of their expectations were met; not a single eternal one. Rather, they received a Heavenly Kingdom given by the Risen Lord!
Back to my original question, “What are your expectations; what are our expectations?” As we ponder over the implications of this question, please consider that perhaps all aspects of our life hold expectations that have no basis for their very existence.
What are our expectations? Now, is it not better for you and me to lay aside our own desires, our way of doing things, our very thoughts and expectations and take on Christ-likeness? This is what preached and taught over and over to the various churches whose letters are in the Bible.
Let us look into the tomb ourselves. We too find it empty. It is in the Risen Lord that we find expectations ... expectations for life, for how we live our life.
We find the Lord’s expectations for us in the Risen Lord. We find expectations for us in the power of the Holy Spirit and his fruits. Let us move onward into the Power of the Resurrection.
— William H. Thrasher, Ph. D.,
Pastor, Ebenezer UMC, Odenville
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